Diagnosis Result: Futility
No fulfillment, no contribution, no reward: A soul-crushing grind that merely wastes your time.
Explanation
Reminiscent of the myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus, where a massive boulder is repeatedly pushed up a mountain only to roll back down upon reaching the top. It is a meaningless and absurd form of labor.
Position of "Futility"
Example 1
Noah was begged by an acquaintance to help out a nominal voluntary organization that no longer has any actual activities. He was tasked with the job of continuously entering handwritten memos spanning decades, written by no one knows who, for no one knows what purpose into Excel.
He feels no meaning, it serves no purpose, and it generates no compensation. It's a job that leaves a gaping hole in his heart and makes him feel as if his spirit is eroding. Noah is bad at using computers to begin with, and he feels strong agony towards this meaningless, monotonous task. Furthermore, no one in this world will ever read the data he inputs, and because it's framed as volunteering, he receives absolutely zero reward. Wasting time every day, helping no one, and earning not a single penny, this task is classified precisely as a soul-crushing state of "Futility."
Example 2
Emi is forced by her strict parents to practice for three hours every day to take over as a player of a minor traditional instrument for which she has absolutely no talent. She lacks both a sense of rhythm and pitch, and practice time is nothing but agony. The instrument itself is already fading from history, so no one wants to hear her play, nor can she make a living as a professional, naturally resulting in zero income.
Wasting time every day purely to keep up appearances for her parents with an activity that helps no one, this is strictly classified as a soul-crushing state of "Futility."
Advice for those in the "Futility" state
"Futility" is defined as an absurd state lacking any fulfillment, sense of contribution, or practical benefit—a state that merely wastes your time and grinds down your spirit.
To move closer to "Ikigai," you need to build all the currently missing elements—"Great At," "Love," "Need," and "Paid For"—from scratch. However, you must not rush. Because remaining in your current environment carries the risk of destroying your mind and body, the most important thing is to make the decision to "escape" (change your environment) right now. There is no need to worry about what others think or saving face.
After resetting your environment, start by lowering the bar to the absolute minimum and finding just one thing that "you can do with even a little less pain" (a small Great At) or "you can hold even a slight interest in" (a small Love). Rather than suddenly searching for a grand Ikigai, the starting point from ground zero is to first reclaim your own mind and time, and rebuild a healthy foundation for your life.
